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Third Zefarelli government
The Third Zefarelli government was the third and last ministry of Prime Minister Michele Zefarelli of Italy, which existed from July 2020 to April 2021. The government made little changes to the previous Second Zefarelli government's policies, and, in April 2021, the leftist coalition emerged victorious and created the Urbini government. History Formation Following the July 2020 election, the progressive Five Star Movement and the right-wing populist Lega Nord parties again emerged as the two largest parties in the country, each with nine seats. Incumbent Prime Minister Michele Zefarelli faced the first major challenge to his rule, as the Left had continued to grow in size. When the time came to vote for a Prime Minister, the Left could have won, had PRD deputy Mirella Uberti and M5S deputy Gabriele Nocera voted along party lines; Forza Italia members Paolo Mascherpa and Mario Tassoni also voted in favor of M5S leader Nicola Urbini. However, incumbent Prime Minister Michele Zefarelli of Lega Nord won with 19 votes to 17 votes, with four lawmakers being too busy coming up with their own laws to vote in the election. Zefarelli therefore received a mandate to continue governing. Legislation A week after the prime ministerial election, in a vote of 36-1, the Chamber of Deputies voted to continue agricultural research, with only PD deputy Gabriele Veltramo voting against it. Two weeks later, however, any semblance of bipartisanship was destroyed when a vote on a land tax split the parliament roughly down the middle. The proposed tax was defeated 20-16 with two abstentions, with M5S deputy Vittorio Uvari and Lega deputies Nicola Augostini and Antonio Merlotti crossing party lines. A day later, in a slightly less divided vote, the Chamber approved road maintenance by a margin of 23-13 with 2 abstentions, with Lega (bar Merlotti) and the leftist parties (bar Michele Iovine) supporting the project, while most of the rest of the right opposed it. A week later, in a vote of 33-3 with 3 abstentions, the Chamber voted to keep the national bus transport service, facing minor opposition from the right and from Italian Left deputy Giuseppe Andino. The election threshold vote, held in October, saw a few leftists (all of the PRD but Ianuzzi, who abstained) and some rightists support its abolition, but the Chamber voted 26-9 with 3 abstentions to keep the threshold at 3%. The next week, in a vote of 15-11 (with 13 abstentions), the Chamber voted to keep the housing tax. A vote to introduce party failed by a margin of 15-13 with 10 abstentions, with the PRD, Forza Italia, and a portion of Lega Nord voting against it, while most of the parliamentary center favored it. A week later, in a vote of 23-9 with 7 abstentions, the Chamber voted to hold a vote, answering a PRD poll which showed that most voters wanted a new vote. A week later, by a margin of 34-2 with 4 abstentions, the Chamber voted to continue the 2019 Anti-Mafia Commission, with LN deputy Francesco Giacconi and FI deputy Mario Tassoni being the only deputies to vote to abolish it. In March 2021, the new elections were to be held. The PRD spent much of its fundraising money on launching attacks against Lega Nord and against the Prime Minister on Primavera television, and, when the election was held, Lega Nord dropped to 8 seats, M5S retained 9 seats, PD retained its 7 seats, FI retained its 6 seats, the PRD gained a sixth seat, and SI retained 4 seats. Ignazio Bandero, a former PRD deputy, returned to the Chamber now that the PRD list was expanded in the Chamber. The PRD also bribed FI deputy Rosa Nuccio to join them, and bribed Lega MP Luciana Herreri to vote for them. When it came time to choose a new Prime Minister, the Left and some rightist dissenters succeeded in ousting Zefarelli and electing Nicola Urbini as Prime Minister. Assessment The last of the Zefarelli governments was a miracle in of itself, as the attendance of the premiership vote by four missing deputies could have swayed the vote in favor of the Five Star Movement. A vote on the land tax was shot down, but it showed the deep divisions within the Chamber, and many attempted reforms were shot down and the existing laws defended. The PRD became prominent as an opponent of the regime, and it used attack ads to wage war against the Zefarelli government, its ideological rival. The PRD used corruption to sway the political tide against Lega Nord, allowing for M5S to take power. List of Members Prime Minister * Michele Zefarelli PRD (5) * Giacomo Zerilli * Roberto Orvieti * Paolo Loren * Mirella Uberti * Camilla Ianuzzo SI (4) * Michele Iovine * Giuseppe Andino * Francesco Noele * Paolo Nasto M5S (9) * Nicola Urbini * Vittorio Uvari * Carlo Hurli * Alice Andreotti * Vittorio Campanella * Gabriele Nocera * Franco Nitti * Giacomo Gianetti * Matteo Zoff PD (7) * Stefano Petroni * Gabriele Veltramo * Mirella Zamperini * Giuseppe Nardello * Vittorio Bonetti * Michele Legnani * Marco Verardi Lega (9) * Roberto Rizzoni * Nicola Augostini * Adriana Verastro * Giuseppe Imbarelli * Francesco Giacconi * Carlo Gerlandi * Valeria Iustiniani * Antonio Merlotti * Luciana Herreri FI (6) * Antonio Hadriano * Paolo Mascherpa * Luigi Vizzioni * Rosa Nuccio * Valeria Scuto * Mario Tassoni Category:Italian governments